Fantasy baseball: Making sense of most added, most dropped players

Kyle Bishop

How should you react when you look at a list of the most actively shuffled MLB players?

Most signs suggest Colby Lewis' hot start will not continue.

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One of the more interesting tools featured on all of the major fantasy platforms allows you to see which players are being added or dropped most frequently each day or week. Today, we’ll look at a few of these players and determine whether or not you should follow the wisdom of the crowds.

Most added

Cameron Maybin

A former first round pick and the headliner of the trade that brought Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, Maybin has bounced around the league and ended up back in the Motor City. He missed the first five weeks of the season with a wrist fracture after being hit by a pitch in spring training. Since returning from the disabled list, however, he’s been a force. In only seven games, Maybin has collected 14 hits, including a homer, and has stolen four bases in five attempts. He’s not going to keep up this torrid pace, but after a useful season with the Braves in 2015 (10 homers, 23 steals), he may finally be tapping into his upside at age 29.

Verdict: Add

Colby Lewis

Lewis won 17 games for the Rangers a year ago despite a lousy 4.66 ERA. After firing seven shutout innings against the Astros on Friday, he’s 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through nine starts. Those numbers will play in any format, but will they last? Almost certainly not. Lewis is posting virtually identical strikeout and walk rates as he did in 2015, and is actually allowing even more home runs. His success is built upon a pair of unsustainable figures: a .261 batting average on balls in play (Lewis’ career mark checks in at .298) and a whopping 92.3 percent strand rate. To put that latter number in context: League average is about 70 percent, and only eight qualified pitchers have even managed an 85 percent mark in the last 50 years.

Verdict: Avoid

Most dropped

Ketel Marte

Marte is only appearing on this list as a result of a thumb injury suffered this past weekend. It’s a shame, too, as he was really starting to hit his stride after a slow start. Over the past month, Marte had hit .310/.333/.460 with 29 runs and RBI and three steals — fine production from a shortstop. Reports indicate that the injury isn’t serious and that Marte will return immediately once eligible. DL slots are precious commodities as the season wears on and injuries pile up, but Marte has probably earned the use of one with his recent play.

Verdict: Hold/Stash

J.A. Happ

Fun fact: Happ is one of the aforementioned eight pitchers who have managed an 85 percent strand rate over a full season; he did so in his rookie season. Other than that year and his stretch run with the Pirates last season, he’s never been anything but a middling back-end starter. He has solid ratios so far (3.43 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) but is running a career worst strikeout rate of 5.77 per nine innings. He’s also got a rough month ahead of him, with a pair of starts against both the Red Sox and Orioles.

Verdict: Drop

Kyle Bishop is a lead MLB columnist at RotoBaller.com. His articles are your secret weapon for winning fantasy leagues.